A printing system may be operated to jet a plurality of printing fluids via nozzles in a printhead. Ink and non-ink fluids are examples of printing fluids. A non-ink fluid may be a treatment fluid for treating ink on a substrate or for treating a substrate prior to receiving ink. Treatment may be, for example, to improve print quality by enhancing fixation of ink on the substrate or to protect colorant, delivered via an ink, on the substrate. A treatment fluid may be a pre-treatment fluid designed to be applied on a substrate location before ink deposition (e.g, a fixer) or a post-treatment component designed to be applied on a substrate location after ink deposition (e.g., a coating).
A pre-treatment may be applied on a portion of a substrate to enhance fixation (e.g., bonding and/or hardening) of ink on that portion of the substrate. Fixation may be performed to address coalescence, bleed, feathering, or similar effects characterized by ink migration across a printed surface. In other examples, a post-treatment may be applied to a colorant on the substrate so as to coat a printed pattern.